Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The hourglass spun me around, and I landed on hard ground. The impact that jarred my bones was nothing compared to the shattering of my heart. My emotions were wrecked, my soul torn apart. Justice had slipped through my fingers into the enemy’s grasp, and with him went a piece of me I feared I’d never get back.

Overhead, a blanket of stars hovered, twinkling with an indifference that felt like a mockery of my pain. I dug my fingers into the thick grass beneath me, desperate for any anchor to this new reality. Tears carved hot trails down my cheeks as I gazed up at the tall pines standing sentinel around us, their silhouettes stark against the night sky. Beyond them loomed the towers of a gray castle, our supposed destination, but it felt meaningless now.

The mirror had spoken of a harp we needed to steal, a mission that had seemed so vital moments ago. Now, the weight of failure and loss pressed on me, draining every ounce of energy and hope from my body. I had lost my strength, my purpose, my other half.

I tried to push myself up, but my arms trembled and gave way. The cool grass pressed against my cheek, and I released a choked sob. The scent of earth and pine filled my nostrils, so different from the last place Justice and I had been together. It felt wrong to be here without him, wrong to breathe this air or see these stars when he was trapped in some hellish realm with Rage.

“Justice,” I whispered into the uncaring night, his name a prayer and a curse on my lips. The vastness of the Scottish landscape suddenly felt oppressive, a reminder of the impossible distance between us. How could I go on? How could I face this mission, this team, this world, knowing he was out there suffering?

Yet, even as despair threatened to swallow me whole, a tiny spark flickered in the depths of my heart. Justice wouldn’t want me to give up. He’d want me to fight, to rage against the dying of the light. With a shuddering breath, I clenched my fists in the grass, drawing strength from the solid earth beneath me.

Justice might have been possessed, but I’d find a way to save him. There had to be a way.

Soft footsteps approached behind me. I looked over my shoulder, not sure if I had the strength to fight.

My brother crouched beside me.

“Hey, Sawyer. I know you’re hurting, but we can’t stay here. We’ve got a job to do.” Warmth tinged his gruff voice.

I turned away from him, unable to bear his concern. His words, meant to motivate, only twisted the knife deeper into my wounded heart.

“A job to do?” I whispered, my voice raw with grief. “How can you talk about jobs when Justice is…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.

He paused, looking at the looming castle, then back at me. His jaw clenched, fighting his own emotions.

“Look, I get it. Losing Justice is like losing a piece of yourself. But you’re not alone in this fight. We’re gonna get him back, you hear me? We’re gonna march into whatever hell Rage is hiding in, kick his demon ass, and bring Justice home.”

Damon gripped my shoulder firmly.

Slowly, I pushed myself up to a sitting position, wrapping my arms around my knees. I stared blankly at the distant castle, its gray stones a reflection of the emptiness I felt inside.

“I failed him, Damon.” My soft words trembled. “I was right there, and I couldn’t… I couldn’t save him.” A fresh wave of tears threatened to spill over, and I blinked hard, trying to force them back.

My blood and the mirror had healed him before, but if they couldn’t heal him now, what would? Was he lost to me forever?

Damon sat fully. “Right now, we need you. That harp isn’t gonna steal itself, and every second we waste here is another second Justice is in Rage’s clutches. So, come on, sis. On your feet. We’ve got a world to save and a vampire to rescue.”

“Damon, I’m tired. We’ve been going nonstop, and I need to rest.” I gripped his arm, desperate for an anchor in the storm of my emotions. “What if we’re too late? What if Rage… What if he…” I couldn’t finish the thought, the possibilities too horrific to contemplate.

My gaze dropped to the grass, my fingers idly plucking at the blades. “I don’t know if I have the strength for this, Damon. I don’t know if I can be who you need me to be right now. I feel…broken.”

Damon’s expression softened as he listened to my words. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, a gesture so familiar it made my heart ache for simpler times.

“All right, Sawyer.” His voice was gentler now. “We’ll rest, but only for a while. We can’t lose sight of why we’re here.” He squeezed my hand, his grip firm and reassuring. “And don’t you worry about being strong right now. That’s why you’ve got me. We’ll get through this together, okay?”

More footsteps approached us. I was too tired to look. If it was Justice and Rage, I didn’t know if I had the heart to fight them.

Damon glanced over his shoulder. “The rest of the team made it through the vortex, too.”

Zara and Lisa sat beside me. They looked as exhausted and defeated as I felt. The phoenix landed next to Lisa and regarded us curiously as if wondering what we were going to do next.

Brody was the last to join our circle, his steady footsteps coming to a halt as he surveyed our group. Even in the dim light, I saw the concern etched on his face, mixed with the unwavering determination that always seemed to radiate from him.

“Listen,” Brody began, his voice low but firm. “I know we’re all feeling the weight of what happened. Losing Justice was a blow we weren’t prepared for.” He paused, looking each of us in the eye. “I can see we’re all running on empty.”

He crouched, joining our huddle on the grass. “We need to rest and regroup. We’re no good to Justice or anyone else if we push ourselves to the breaking point.”

A wave of relief washed over me at his words. Brody always seemed to know what the team needed, even when we couldn’t admit it ourselves.

“But Brody,” Zara started, her voice tight with worry. “Every minute we waste?—”

“Isn’t wasted if it means we’re at our best when it counts,” Brody finished, his tone gentle but brooking no argument. “Two hours. We rest, we eat if we have provisions, and we make a solid plan. Then, we hit that castle with everything we’ve got.”

The phoenix trilled softly as if in agreement with Brody’s strategy.

Damon nodded, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “Brody’s right. We’re no use to Justice like this.”

I felt Brody’s hand on my shoulder, warm and reassuring. “Sawyer, I know you’re hurting the most right now. But I need you to hold onto hope. We’re going to get him back.”

For the first time since landing in this new place, a tiny spark ignited in my chest. With Brody’s steady leadership and the team around me, maybe we did have a chance. I nodded, meeting his gaze. “Okay,” I whispered. “Two hours. Then we save Justice.”

Brody smiled and stood. “All right, team. Let’s set up a perimeter and get some rest. We’ve got a big fight ahead of us.”

As the team moved with renewed purpose, I realized sometimes strength wasn’t about pushing forward relentlessly. Sometimes, it was about knowing when to pause, regroup, and lean on each other. And I was grateful for a leader who understood that.

Damon and I snuggled against a tree, its rough bark digging into my back, contrasting Damon’s comforting warmth. He put his arm around me, the familiar scent of his leather jacket mingling with the earthy forest air. I laid my head on his shoulder, feeling the rise and fall of his steady breathing. Tears freely fell as I thought of Justice. The chill of fear and loss settled deep in my bones, making me shiver despite Damon’s embrace.

Brody walked the perimeter of our little camp, his footsteps a rhythmic crunch on the forest floor. The rustle of leaves in the cool night breeze seemed to whisper warnings, keeping us on edge. I only hoped the bad guys needed to sleep, too. The question gnawed at me. Did demons sleep? The thought of our otherworldly enemies sent a shudder through me, my mind conjuring shadowy figures with glowing eyes lurking beyond the firelight.

Right now, I didn’t care. Exhaustion had consumed me, seeping into every fiber of my being. My limbs felt leaden, my eyelids heavy as stone. Even my thoughts seemed to move in slow motion, trudging through a fog of fatigue.

The gentle crackling of our small campfire and the soft murmur of my teammates’ hushed voices blended into a soothing lullaby, tempting me to surrender to the oblivion of sleep. Yet even as my body craved rest, my heart ached with worry for Justice, keeping me teetering on the edge of consciousness.